Monday, October 30, 2006

Christmas Trees and The Great Pumpkin

The temps have finally dipped under freezing in my neck of the woods, so I added a polar fleece under jacket and balaclava to my outfit. I've been wearing a 3/4 shell helmet with a shield lately, and want to see how long I last before I have to put on the full-face. Just another test of wills. At least with the shield, I'm not having fogging issues yet. Just nose running issues.

So, back to the title of this post. I passed by a jewelry shop Saturday evening and did a triple double take when I saw that their showroom window was completely decked out in full Christmas decor. Tree, lights, fake snow, the whole holiday she-bang. I hadn't even carved jack-o-lantern's with my boys yet. I don't, and won't get it. When I was a kid, there seemed to be a kind of separation in time between the "big three". Everything seemed to be about costumes and trick or treating, then you hung out for a month, watched the Macy's Parade and had turkey day with family, then ramped up for Christmas and all of the magic that the season brings. It was wonderful. Now we overlap by two months. It sucks, I say! Man, I've still got summer seasonal items including tiki torch oil for sale on our clearance shelves. I'm not ready. I'm old fashioned. But at least being the way I am, I hope to teach my kids a little bit about the simpler pleasures of how we approached the holidays when I was their age.

I hope my kids also remember how their old man would pull his scooter out of the shop in the cold morning darkness and putt off to work no matter what the weather. It probably doesn't click right now with them, but, somewhere down the road in time, maybe they will think it was cool. Or maybe their dad was a freak. Who knows? For now, I get a big kick out of how my little baby girl lights up when she sees Daddy in full riding gear and comes to give me a hug when I leave for work. There isn't a better way for me to start my day than that.

Anyway, the pumpkins are carved, the costumes are ready and we'll be out prowling the neighborhood tomorrow night. But I won't be passing by the jewelry shop in the foreseeable future. I'm not ready.

Have fun,
Bill

2 Comments:

Blogger Steve Williams said...

My daughter was 25 when I started riding again so I never had the opportunity for the fine starts of the day you describe. She certainly has let me know what she thinks about my year round riding and made me promise this year that I would not commute on the Vespa on snow covered roads.....

She does realize how much I love riding and I hope that somewhere in her concerned mind she figures out what a gift in my life riding is.

steve

3:30 AM  
Blogger Bill Sommers said...

And...will you ride on snow covered roads?
My kids are young. Ages 8,4, and baby girl is almost two. So to her, I'm probably just this goofy looking version of a cartoon spaceman in my riding gear, but her reaction is one of those moments that I cherish throughout my day.
Have fun,
Bill

3:36 PM  

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